Jodie Whittaker Says She Isn’t Leaving DOCTOR WHO

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Fans concerned about Jodie Whittaker’s future in the TARDIS based on a recently circulated rumor need fear no more, at least not according to the Doctor Who star herself, who has no current plans to leave the show.

“I really can’t wait to step back in and get to work again,” Whittaker said in an exclusive interview with the The Hollywood Reporter. “It’s such an incredible role. It’s been an extraordinary journey so far and I’m not quite ready to hand it over yet.”

Whittaker’s departure would be a blow to the series, which has seen significant and consistently higher ratings than the past couple of seasons, even with some expected drop-off following the premiere.

So why was there even a concern in the first place? As previously discussed on Nerdist, Doctor Who is an immensely popular target for unsubstantiated rumors, often credited by those who report them as coming from an unnamed source at the BBC. While the last major rumor that we reported on—the movement of the annual Christmas special to a new home on New Year’s Day—ended up being true, the fact still remains that rumors about Doctor Who should be taken with a grain of salt unless they’re confirmed by folks actually working on the show.

In this case, the speculation that Whittaker would be leaving felt particularly shaky because there were two different reasons being cited for her presumed departure. The first: loyalty to showrunner Chris Chibnall, who was also rumored to be leaving the show earlier than planned, which would be a pretty major shake-up in the show’s production and likely would get major coverage if it were the case.

The other felt a little bit harsher: Whittaker wanted to leave the show so that she could spend more time with her young child, who was born in 2015. As a professional actor who has worked on many long-term projects such as Broadchurch and Trust Me, as well as significant runs in the London stage theatrical scene, Whittaker is clearly no stranger to the realities of being a busy working mother. It’s hard to imagine that Whittaker didn’t already factor in the impact taking on one of the biggest television roles in the UK would have upon her family life before she auditioned hard to get it in the first place. Without speculating too much on the mindset of those who originated this rumor, it certainly feels like editorializing on the motivations of the first woman to star as the Doctor in the long-running sci-fi show’s history.

Plus, who would want to leave the show right after getting such an awesome scarf for the winter?

For now, the season 11 finale airs this Sunday on BBC America, with a holiday special airing on New Year’s Day. And you can find reviews of the entire current season right here on Nerdist.